"We are working on an initiative to invest €1 billion from 'Team Europe' to develop vaccine manufacturing in Africa, the capacity itself in Africa", announced the leader of the community executive, in a press conference.

The European Union (EU) is preparing an initiative to develop capacity to manufacture covid-19 vaccines in Africa, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced Tuesday.

"We are working on an initiative to invest one billion euros from 'Team Europe' to develop vaccine manufacturing in Africa, the capacity itself in Africa," the leader of the EU executive announced at a press conference.

According to Von der Leyen, the initiative also aims to bring "mRNA technologies (such as those used by the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna) to Africa, something that has not happened so far."

"It is a specific initiative with our African partners, not only for production, developing manufacturing capabilities and also skills for supply chain management," he pointed out.

One aspect of the partnership, he explained, is the development of the "necessary regulatory framework through the African Medicines Agency."

Speaking at the end of the extraordinary European Council, Ursula Von der Leyen added that the pharmaceutical companies BioNtech/Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson&Johnson have committed to deliver 1.3 billion doses of vaccines in 2021 at zero cost to low-income countries and at a reduced price to middle-income countries.

The 'Team Europe' package was formed in April 2020 to support partner countries in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic and its consequences.

The aim of the 'Team Europe' approach is to combine resources from the EU, its member states, and financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.